Feet and handle provisions for appliance bases



June 22, 1937. PRESTQN 2,084,595

FEET AND HANDLE PROVISIONS FOR APPLIANCE BASES Filed Dec. 11, 1936 Edwaro Qf. flew-M Patented June 22, 1 937 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FEET AND HANDLE PROVISIONS FOR APPLIANCE BASES Application December 11, 1936, Serial No. 115,368

19 Claims.

My invention relates to feet and handle provisions particularly suitable for use on household electric appliances which have inverted and shallow pan-like bases formed of sheet metal, as

for example on sandwich toasters and wafile irons.

With the bases of such appliances it is important to have at least the major portions of the turned down base edges freely spaced upwardly from the table on which the appliance is seated,

so as not to have these edges scratch the table top, and also to permit air to circulate below the bases to prevent an undue heating of the table top. For these purposes it has long been customary to provide feet having elastic cushioning tips at their lower ends, as also to attach each such foot separately, all of which involves a considerable expense both for the manufacturing of the cushioned feet and for attaching them to the appliance base.

In one of its major aspects, my invention aims to provide a simple and inexpensive construction of the feet for! such appliance bases, which will permit the simultaneous attachment of two feet to the appliance base by a simple snap-on movement, and which will require no auxiliary fastening elements for holding the feet rigidly positioned with respect to the said base.

In another major aspect, my invention relates to'a handle construction of the class in which a horizontally-extending handle is supported at two longitudinally spaced points by bracket arms fastened to the base or other. portion of an appliance. In this aspect, my invention aims to provide an inexpensive handle-supporting memher which can easily be secured to an appliance by a single fastening element, and which can readily have its bracket arm portions formed to present an ornamental appearance. Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a construction for this purpose which will allow the handlesupporting member to be formed from a simple m'etal'rod, and one in which the outward portions of the said bracket arms (which may conduct heat from the appliance) will not touch the hand i; grasping the handle. I

Illustrative of the manner in which I accomplish the above recited objects,

. Fig. 1 is an end view of the lower parts of an electric sandwich toaster, with the inverted panlike base of the appliance shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a reduced bottom view of an end portion of the said base member.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken along the 55 11:19 3-3-of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a still more enlarged section along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the handle of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a still more enlarged perspective view of the handle-supporting member, with dotted lines showing the shape of free end parts of that member before these are clamped to the handle.

Fig. '7 is an interior perspective view of an end portion of the inverted pan-like main part of the base, showing the formations which facilitate the positioning and attaching of the handlesupporting member.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 shows the lower casing part I of a sandwich toaster or the like as provided with the usual downwardly projecting nubs 2, which nubs are seated on riser nubs 3 formed on the rectangular top 4 of the base of the appliance, and also shows the appliance base as including depending end flanges E and side flanges S of uniform height.

To support this downwardly open box-shaped main base part at a sufficient elevation from a table top T so that air can circulate under it, I form the said base top 4 in each longitudinal half of that top with a depending finger 5 which preferably is disposed midway between the two side flanges S of the said base, and which finger slopes downwardly somewhat toward the adjacent end flange E.

For each half-length of the said base member I also provide a feet-affording member, formed by bending a resilient rod to the general shape of a letter M which has its long shanks M and M diverging away from their connections to the ends of the generally V-shaped wire part V which is formed from the mid-length of the said rod. I also desirably flattened the apex of this midlength part V to present a short and straight bight portion B.

In addition, I bend each free end of the rod to a U-formation having its general plane at right angles to the plane of the remaining portions of the formed wire, the said U-formations B at both ends of the rod being formed so as to present their U-openings in the last named plane, and so that the axial length of each U-formation is greater than the height of both the end and side flanges of the main base member.

To adapt each such foot-forming member for my purposes, it is proportioned so that, before the attaching of this member to the main base part; the end shanks 6a. of the two U portlons normally are spaced by a distance somewhat greater than the clear spacing of the two side flanges S of the appliance base, thereby requiring the two main shanks M and M of the footforming member: to be flexed toward each other for inserting this member in the appliance base to the position shown in Fig. 2. y

In addition, the foot-affording member is formed so that when the end shank of each U-part bears against the juncture of the adjacent side and end walls of the appliance base, the bight B at the midlength of this member will be pressed firmly against the adjacent depending finger 5 on the base top.

Thus constructed, the foot-affording member can readily be slid upwardly into one end part of the appliance base, with its U openings facing upward, after which the main shanks M and M have been suitably flexed toward each other, until the tips of the end shanks 6a of each U-formation on this member engage the box bottom of the said base. Then the said main shanks can manually be flexed apart (as diagrammatically shown in dotted lines for half of the said member in Fig. 2) so as to reduce the spacing between the bight B of the said member and the adjacent end flange (E) of the base, thereby permitting this bight to be snapped into the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When thus attached, the resiliency of the foo aflording member cooperates with the slope of the base top finger 5 engaged by bight B of that member, so as to press the major portions of the said member upwardly against the base top T.

To prevent a possible scratching of a table top by the U-bights of the thus providedfeet, I also desirably slide a snugly fitting soft rubber tube R over each such U-shaped tube.

To afford means for conveniently and safely lifting the entire appliance even when its operative portions are hot, I employ handles H (Fig. 5) of wood (or other material of poor heat conductivity), each of which is supported by the two arms of a handle-supporting bracket which is shown separately in Fig. 6. Each such bracket desirably is formed from a rod of rectangular section having a width corresponding to that of each of two counterpart peripheral grooves 8 in the corresponding handle, and having a thickness less than the depth of such a groove.

This rod is bent to a U-section and has its central portion 9a flattened (in a plane transverse of the direction in which the U-shanks or bracket arms 91) extend), the said central portion being provided with a central perforation 90. These two bracket arms have their free end portions 9d curled (desirably in the same direction) and respectively housed by the two grooves 8 of one of the handles, each such curled portion being preferably clinched against the adjacent groove bottom 8a to prevent the handle from rotating about its own axis. To facilitate this, the free end part of each bracket arm may initially be curled only partially, as shown at Se in Fig. 6, to permit these arm ends to be slid into the said handle grooves, after which the curling of both arm ends can be completed by an operation which also indents a. tip portion of each arm. into the handle as shown in Fig. 8.

To cooperate with the just described handle and bracket assembly, I provide the lower edge of the adjacent base flange with two rectangular notches N corresponding in width to the bracket arms 91) and spaced similarly to the latter, and alsoprovide the same flange with a perforation P midway between these notches, as shown in Fig. '7.

With a thus formed base flange, the corresponding handle-carrying bracket can speedily be attached by merely sliding it upwards into the main part, so that the U-back of the bracket engages the inner face of the said flange while the bracket arms 9b extend respectively through the notches N in the flange, and then clamping the bracket back by a fastening member-such as the bolt ll) of Figs. 1 and 2to that flange. The interfitting of the said notches with the bracket arm portions housed by them then enables such a single fastening member to effect a rigid assembly. Also, by making each handle groove 8 of less thickness than the bracket arm part which is curled into this groove I prevent the user of the appliance from having her hand touch the metal bracket which may be considerably warmed.

By employing a single and quite simple member for affording a pair of feet and providing for the attaching of each such member by a simple snapon operation, I not only expedite the assembling but also permit a speedy detaching of each such member for replacing the rubber tubes of the same in case these should be damaged. Consequently, with the usual four-footed and twinhandled appliance bases only two fastening elements are required in connection with the needed handles and feet.

Moreover, if each handle bracket is fastened to the base member by a bolt, any appliance dealer can readily supply demands for appliances with handles of varying colors by carrying a supply of handle bracket assemblies including handles of different colors.

However, while I have heretofore described my' invention in connection with an embodiment including numerous desirable details of construction and arrangement, many changes could obviously be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A base' for an electric toaster or the like, comprising: a downwardly open box-like base including a base top, and a peripheral flange depending from the said top and presentingtwo oppositely disposed pairs of similarly spaced corners; two resilient and oppositely facing feetafiording members housed by the said base, each of the said members comprising a loop of wire having its shank end parts respectively engaging the flange corners of one of the said pairs; each of the said loop-shank end parts having a portion thereof extending to a lower elevation than the lower edge of the said flange, and the base top having portions thereof releasably interlocked respectively with the bights of the loops of the two foo-t members.

2. A base for an electric toaster or the like, comprising: a downwardly open boX-likebase including a base top, and a peripheral flange depending from the said top and presenting two oppositely disposed pairs of similarly spaced corners; two resilient and oppositely facing feetafiording members housed by the said base, each of the said members comprising a loop of wire having its shank end'parts respectively engaging the flange corners of one of the said pairs; each of the said loop-shank end parts having a portion thereof extending to a lower elevation than the lower edge of the said flange, the base top being formed to present two depending portions respectively interlocked with the bights of the loops of the two foot members. i

3. A base member as per claim l, in which the,

lowermost part of each of said loop-shank end parts is sheathed by a cushioning element.

4. A base member as per claim 1, in which each of the feet-affording members initially has its loop portion formed so that the said corner-engaging parts are spaced more widely, before such a member is attached to the base, than the two flange corners respectively engaged by the last named parts.

5. A base member as per claim 1, in which each shank-end part of a loop is of a U-form presenting the plane of the U-formation in substantially the same vertical plane with the major portion of the shank of which that end is a part, the said U-shaped shank-end part presenting its U-back at a lower elevation than the lower edge of the said flange and the upper end of its outer U- shank engaging the lower face of the base top.

6. A footed base assembly for an electric toaster or the like comprising a base member having a polygonal top and having flanges depending from the periphery of the said top, the said top having two depending fingers formed from it and respectively facing the midlengths of two opposite flanges; and two foot members substantially housed by the base member, each of the said members being formed from a single piece of resilient wire, having its midlength portion hooked under one of said fingers and having two shanks; each of the said shanks having a U-shaped free end portion presenting its U-back at lower elevation than the lower edges of the said flanges, the outer shank of each such U-shaped portion bearing against the juncture of two of the said flanges.

'7. A base assembly as per claim 6, in which each such U-shaped portion is sheathed by a tube of soft rubber or the like.

8. A footed base assembly for an electric toaster or the like comprising a base member including a rectangular top and flanges depending respectively from the side edges of the said top, the said top having two depending fingers respectively facing the midle-ngths of the end'flanges; and two generally loop-like foot members each formed from a single piece of resilient wire having its mid-length portion looped over one of the said fingers, and having its end parts respectively engaging the junctures of the two side flanges with the end flange nearest to that finger; each such end part having a portion thereof in upward engagement with the said base top and presenting another portion at an elevation below that of the lower edges of the said flanges.

9. A footed base assembly for an electric toaster or the like comprising a base member having a polygonal top and flanges depending from the periphery of the said top, the said top having two depending fingers formed from it and respectively facing the midlengths of two opposite flanges, and two foot members substantially housed by the base member and each formed from a single piece of resilient wire; each foot member including a main M-shaped part having the b ight of its indenting V-formation engaging one of the said fingers, and having the free end of each riser shank of its M formation bent to form an upwardly open U-shaped part of greater height than the said flanges; the outer shank of each such U-part engaging the juncture of two adjacent flanges, and being pressed against that juncture by the resiliency of the wire from which the foot member is formed.

10. A footed base assembly as per claim 9, in

which the outer shank of each U-shaped part of each foot member has its free end in upward engagement with the polygonal top of the base member.

11. A footed base assembly as per claim 9, in which each of the said fingers slopes downward toward the flange which it faces.

12. A footed base assembly as per claim 1, in which the M-shaped main part of each foot member has the apex of its V-shaped portion straight and extending at right angles to the axis of the M-shaped part and engaging the juncture of the adjacent base top finger vn'th the said base top.

13. A footed base assembly as per claim 1, in which the M-shaped main part of each foot member has the apex of its V-shaped portion straight and extending at right angles to the axis of the M-shaped part and engaging the juncture of the adjacent base top finger with the said base top; and in which each foot member is initially formed so that the M-height of each thereof up to the said straight apex portion is greater than the distance between the said juncture and the flange faced by the finger which engages the said apex portion.

14. In an electric toaster or the like an inverted and downwardly open box-like member having two spaced notches in the lower edge of a side thereof; a generally U-shaped handle bracket having its U-back engaging the inner face of the said side and its U-shanks respectively fitting and extending through the said notches; means clamping the said U-back of the bracket to the said side, and a handle extending parallel to the said side, each U-shank of the bracket having its free end portion curled about and interlocked with the said handle,

15. An assemblage as per claim 14, in which the handle has longitudinally spaced peripheral grooves within each of which the curled part of one of the said bracket shanks extends.

16. An assemblage as per claim 14, in which the handle has longitudinally spaced peripheral grooves within each of which the curled part of one of the said bracket shanks extends; and in which each of the said grooves has a depth greater than a thickness of such a curled shank part, whereby the said curled bracket parts are disposed inside the general peripheral surface of the handle.

17. An assemblage as per claim 14, in which the handle has longitudinally spaced peripheral grooves within each of which the curled part of one of the said bracket shanks extends; and in which each of the said grooves has a depth greater than a thickness of such a curled shank part, whereby the said curled bracket parts are disposed inside the general peripheral surface of the handle; and in which each curled shank part has a portion thereof indented into the handle to prevent rotation of the handle about the axis of that handle.

18. An assemblage as per claim 14, in which the U-back of the handle has its central portion widened and provided with a perforation, and in which the clamping means extend through the said perforation and the said side.

19. An assemblage as per claim 14, in which the U-shanks of the bracket are similarly curved upwardly to dispose the axes of the handle at considerably higher elevation than the said fastening means.

EDWARD S. PRESTON, 

